Quick Dips
Curated topical articles on the Blue Economy

Marine Protected Areas Are Less Effective Than We Thought — Illegal Fishing Is to Blame

• Tiffany Duong, EcoWatch • Fisheries & Aquaculture

Are Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) effective? Yes, but not as well as we thought, a new study finds.

Read more → (4 minute read)


Is Kelp the Next Big Ingredient in Alt-Meat?

• Grace Garwood, Food Institute • Fisheries & Aquaculture

When it comes to sustainable food sources, kelp checks all the right boxes. But are U.S. consumers ready to embrace it as a main course?

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Rebalancing the Indonesian seaweed industry

• World Ocean Initiative, The Economist Group • Fisheries & Aquaculture

A guest blog by Dodon Yamin from MARI Oceans and Paddy Tarbuck from Sea Green.

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Welcome to the ‘plastisphere’: the synthetic ecosystem evolving at sea

• Russell Thomas, The Guardian • Plastics & Pollution

Ocean plastic has created a unique home for specialised organisms, from animals that travel on it to bacteria that ‘eat’ it

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This is the most sobering report card yet on climate change and Earth’s future. Here’s what you need to know

• Canadell, P. et al,, The Conversation

Earth has warmed 1.09℃ since pre-industrial times and many changes such as sea-level rise and glacier melt are now virtually irreversible, according to the most sobering report yet by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Read more → (7 minute read)


Key takeaways from the U.N. climate panel's report

• Andrea Januta, Reuters • Energy Solutions

The U.N. climate panel has released its most comprehensive assessment of climate change yet. Here are some of the report's main conclusions.

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IPCC issues stark climate change warning – but what about trade?

• Deepesh Patel, Trade Finance Global • Shipping & Ports

Today’s IPCC report warns that temperatures are very likely to reach 1.5°C of warming by 2050. But what could this mean for global trade, trade finance and supply chains?

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Monday’s IPCC report is a really big deal for climate change. So what is it? And why should we trust it?

• David Karoly, The Conversation • Energy Solutions

On Monday, an extremely important report on the physical science of climate change will be released to the world.

Read more → (5 minute read)


Why financial regulators need to consider ocean biodiversity

• Torsten Thiele, Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies

As the largest and most complex ecosystem on the planet, the ocean plays a key role in efforts to address the interrelated challenges of biodiversity collapse and climate change.

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From Pollution to Performance Wear: Fair-Trade Clothes Made From 100% Ocean Plastic

• Tiffany Duong, EcoWatch • Plastics & Pollution

Pound-for-pound, Sea Threads is making a difference for our ocean ー literally.

Read more → (5 minute read)


World’s most powerful tidal turbine pumps out greener electricity in Scotland

• Sean Fleming, World Economic Forum • Energy Solutions

The world’s most powerful tidal energy turbine is in operation in Orkney, off the northern shores of mainland Scotland.

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How artificial intelligence, insects and yeast can boost sustainable aquaculture

• World Ocean Initiative, The Economist Group • Fisheries & Aquaculture

The World Ocean Summit heard about the latest innovations to accelerate the sustainable development of aquaculture.

Read more → (5 minute read)


A Small State Plans to Go Big With Oyster Restoration

• The Pew Charitable Trusts • Fisheries & Aquaculture

A new science-based tool, the first of its kind, will help Connecticut rebuild its wild oyster beds.

Read more → (7 minute read)


5 Examples of Best Practice to Sustainably Finance the Port Sector

• UNEP FI • Shipping & Ports

Ports are gateways for development, global trade and maritime innovation, and being located at sea level, they are on the front lines of climate change.

Read more → (5 minute read)


As oceans warm, Zanzibar's women sea farmers grow sponges to stay afloat

• Kim Harrisberg, Thomson Reuters Foundation • Fisheries & Aquaculture

Zanzibari women are learning how to swim and farm natural sponges that can withstand climate shocks and protect their income.

Read more → (5 minute read)


We urgently need to kickstart tourism’s recovery but crisis offers an opportunity to rethink it

• Isabelle Durant, World Economic Forum • Tourism

We must look beyond the immediate restart of tourism – this crisis is an opportunity to rethink tourism policies and management.

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Can blockchain provide more transparent supply chains for seafood?

• World Economic Forum • Fisheries & Aquaculture

A recent webinar discussed the use of blockchain in reducing fraud and unsustainable practices in the seafood supply chain.

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Is deep-sea mining in the Arctic a good idea?

• Anita Parlow, World Ocean Initiative • Energy Solutions • Shipping & Ports

A guest blog by Anita Parlow, expert on Arctic shipping, energy and infrastructure.

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Sector Standard Project for Agriculture, Aquaculture, and Fishing

• GRI • Fisheries & Aquaculture

This project aims to help agriculture, aquaculture, and fishing organizations identify likely material topics, improving the way they disclose and manage their impacts.

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Deep-Sea Mining Not Necessary for Renewable Energy Transition, Experts Argue

• Olivia Rosane, EcoWatch • Energy Solutions

Do we really need to put ocean ecosystems at risk in order to transition to a renewable-energy economy?

Read more → (6 minute read)